The Bloated Toad
by courtneynharden
Summary: Celeste was a Midwest girl who wanted adventure, so she packed up and moved across the country to the Pacific Northwest - specifically Port Angeles. She couldn't help but notice things going on around her that seemed somewhat off. If adventure was Celeste wanted, that's what she was going to get.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Celeste was a girl from Des Moines, Iowa. Des Moines was a great place to grow up – she couldn't deny that, but the opportunities were limited. She had always felt her creativity was stifled. She wanted to be somewhere she could let that part of herself be free. She'd always enjoyed the seasons, but the winters in Iowa often became bitterly cold and miserable, depressing even. You couldn't help but become a hermit when it was like that outside. She really loved her family and they were her rock. She loved to spend time with them and they were the reason she had stayed in Iowa until this point. But it was time now. She needed to be inspired. She needed to be somewhere she could be herself. And when it came down to it, she needed a change of scenery.

She had always been inspired by the mountains, the forests, the ocean. All natural wonders of the earth that Iowa did not provide. She loved her home, she really did. It was familiar and it was kind and it was loving, but she needed more. So she left. She headed West if only because she thought she was more of a West Coast girl than East. She loved the idea of the cold, stony beaches of the Pacific Northwest. She wanted to wander through the woods and imagine magical things happening. Or to be within driving distance of a big city like Los Angeles where you can attend movie premieres and eat whatever you want any time of the day or night. She wanted the thrill of seeing a movie star and maybe even get an autograph or two. She just wanted to experience new things.

She didn't have much money. After all, she was fresh out of college and had only been working at her family bookstore for a few months trying to save so she could go on her adventure. It was a two-day drive to the West coast and she barely had enough money to make it there and stay for a week or two. She needed to find a job immediately. She pulled into a small town called Port Angeles that was filled with small shops along the harbor where she could see ferries coming and going. The town was beautiful, small, and perfect. She decided her job hunt had better start immediately. As she pulled into town she saw a couple coffee shops, a bookstore, an Italian restaurant, and a boutique. She stopped her car on the main strip, grabbed her purse, and started walking. The first stop was at a coffee shop but they told her they weren't hiring, so she decided to try her luck at the bookstore. The bookstore was filled with books on Indian legends and she didn't think this was probably the best fit for her, but she did find a book about the Olympic Peninsula – her new home – so she decided to purchase that with some of her dwindling funds. She headed towards the Italian restaurant called "The Bloated Toad", walking past the boutique which featured a few prom dresses in the window (fashion had never been her thing). Before she even went into the restaurant she saw a "help wanted" sign in the window and thought this might be exactly where she was meant to be. She opened the heavy windowed door and a bell rang, announcing her arrival. The hostess looked up and smiled.

"How many?," the girl with the nametag "Haley" asked her.

"Oh, I'm not eating, but I was hoping to fill out an application if that's possible?" Celeste replied.

"Oh good, we've really been needing somebody. We're very short-staffed right now."

Never having worked in a restaurant Celeste wondered how much help she would actually be but she was determined to try her hardest and she always caught on quickly, so she was confident she would be able to benefit the restaurant and herself. She filled out an application at a small coffee table in the lobby. She finished up the last of the questions and handed it back to Haley.

"Do you know of a hotel nearby that is affordable? I need somewhere to stay until I find a place to rent."

"There is a cute little bed and breakfast just a couple blocks away that is pretty reasonable, _and_ they serve delicious waffles from what I've heard."

"Thank you. I'll try there," she said, and waved goodbye as she walked back out the front door and down the stone stairs. She was able to find the place easily. The cottage was charming and the rates were reasonable so she thought this would be a great place to settle down until she found her home. It wasn't an hour later her phone rang. It was the manager of the restaurant asking her when she could come in for an interview. She had just unpacked her bags and was going to do some exploring anyway so she said she could come within a half hour. She freshened up in the bathroom and decided to walk to the restaurant which was only a couple blocks away.

She appreciated the view of the water from the main road in town as she made her way back to the restaurant. She could smell the water as she walked and she smiled at the thought of her new home, at least for now. She walked up the stairs into the restaurant, noting this time the eclectic decorations and the flamboyant outfit that the hostess was wearing.

The girl smiled at her and said, "Told ya we needed somebody. I'll go get Drew, our manager."

She smiled back and took a seat on a wooden bench with big comfortable cushions. She picked up a menu and browsed the entrée options while she was waiting. Mushroom ravioli sounded delicious, she thought, and realized just then she was starving. The manager came to the entry and held his hand out to greet her. "Hi, are you Celeste?" he said.

"Yes," she replied with a smile and a firm handshake.

"Great! We're so happy that you applied today," he said, and led her to an empty table. It was early afternoon before the dinner rush would begin so the restaurant was nearly empty.

"So, tell me a little about yourself?"

"Okay. I just moved here from Iowa. I'm 24 years old. I was looking around the town earlier today when I arrived and this place looked like it would be perfect for me location wise. I am a hard worker and I'm dependable."

"Have you ever waited tables before?"

"No, I haven't. But I'm a quick learner."

"Ok, well you look like you'll fit in here just perfectly. I may start you off as a hostess and once you see how everything runs we'll switch you over to server. Does that sound ok to you?"

"Yes! Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"When can you start?"

"I'm available immediately."

"Great. Can you be here tomorrow at 10 a.m. to start your training?"

"Yes. Thank you again. I just have one more question."

"What's that?" he said.

"Could I please order something to eat? I'm starving."

He chuckled. "Sure, and it's half price for employees. What would you like?"

"Mushroom ravioli, please."

"Coming right up!"

She felt like jumping for joy. She wasn't sure how easy it would be to find a job when she came out here and worried she would run out of money and have to call and ask her mom to send her some, or worse – go home.

Drew came back out and handed her a basket with bread and butter. She dove in, not realizing exactly how hungry she really was. It wasn't too much longer her meal came as well, and she gobbled it down quickly. She paid and headed for the door, waving at the manager and hostess as she walked by. The air was crisp when she went back outside and she zipped up her jacket and put her hands in her pockets. She walked back to her hotel, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next week flew by. She spent most of her time training at the restaurant. She was determined to move to a server position as soon as possible because it was a higher paying job. She worked hard to remember all of the information she was given so that her manager would find her capable. When she wasn't at the restaurant she spent time wandering around the town, trying out local coffee shops, and reading her book about her new home. She was particularly interested in all of the legends and culture that were associated with this part of Washington. Some friends from her new job asked her if she would like to join them on a trip to First Beach on the La Push reservation for the afternoon one day after work and she agreed.

They all loaded into a van with surfboards strapped to the roof and headed about an hour and a half to the beach. She thought this beach must be special because there were others they could have gone to that were closer. On their way her new friends told her about the whale watching, beautiful stony beaches covered in driftwood, and pretty great surfing that attracted them to this particular beach. There were hiking trails near the beach too in case the weather wasn't quite warm enough to get in the water or if it wasn't ideal surfing conditions. They let her borrow a spare wetsuit – something she had never needed in the Midwest – and luckily it fit pretty well. They arrived at the beach and parked next to a couple vans filled with high school students preparing to surf. She got out of the van and put her borrowed wetsuit on over the swimsuit she had on. It was chilly and she was glad to have the extra layer. She couldn't help but notice a few young Quileute boys approach the group of high schoolers. One of them greeted a pale brunette girl who sat in the van and sat down beside her and then introduced her to his friends/fellow tribe members. The girl seemed happy to see him.

Celeste turned to Haley and asked her if she would zip up her wetsuit and then headed down to the beach with the rest of her friends, a foam board under her arm.

The beach was a lot of fun. The water was cold so she mostly sat and whale watched which was incredibly fascinating. She noticed at one point that the pale brunette girl and the Quileute boy took a walk down the beach away from the rest of the group. She wondered if they were interested in each other. There didn't seem to be much flirtation between them however – it just seemed like old friends catching up.

"Anybody want to go for a hike?" one of her friends asked.

"Sure," a couple of them said in unison, and they all stood up and headed towards the trailhead.

They were hiking for about an hour when the sun started setting and they needed to head back. When they arrived back at the beach the high schoolers were gone. There was a fire pit left behind with a few smoldering embers. They fanned the embers and added some dry driftwood to get it going again. They watched the sunset surrounding the fire and eventually watched the whales dance in the moonlight.

They began gathering their belongings and headed back to the van, agreeing they better get home early that night because most of them had to work the next morning. It had gotten pretty chilly on the beach so they cranked the heat as soon as they were all in and the car was started. The radio was turned onto a local station and as the song ended it turned to the voice of an announcer, "This just in: there has been an animal attack reported at Grisham Mill. A worker was found dead covered in animal scratches and bites. Please practice caution when out near the woods, and if you see anything get inside immediately and alert the local authorities by dialing "9-1-1"."

Everybody in the car was pretty shocked by the news since they had been out in the woods for a good portion of the night. Celeste thought back and swore she had heard an animal walking nearby but didn't think much of it at the time. They were glad to be heading home at this point.

A few days later was Celeste's first shift as a server. She had been right – hard work will get you places faster, and it didn't hurt that she was particularly good at multitasking. She had to work the evening shift and chose to walk around the town a little bit more that day. She was fascinated by the water and the ferries, even how the people dressed. She had bought a few eclectic pieces of clothing in the past couple weeks when she noticed how her co-workers dolled up for their shifts at work. Haley told her people like to be immersed in that atmosphere and the tips seemed to be better when you play the part. So she started dressing the part and trying out funky hairstyles she found online. As she was killing time around town she saw a car pull up in front of the boutique and three girls emerged. They looked familiar and she realized they had been three of the high school girls she saw at First Beach in La Push the past week, including the pale brunette. She watched them walk into the boutique and immediately start oohing and ahhing over the selection of prom dresses. The pale brunette looked disinterested and sat in the window with a notebook and began scribbling on it. Celeste realized she better get going so she wouldn't be late for work. She started walking towards the restaurant when she saw a group of guys harassing a couple of cute teenage girls. She walked across the street to avoid them completely.

A couple hours later she was at work when two of the three high school girls walked into the restaurant and were seated in her section. They were her fourth table of the night so she was pretty comfortable at this point. She took their orders, and couldn't help but notice they looked kind of worried. She took their orders to the kitchen and saw them checking their phones and making numerous phone calls. She brought them their drinks. One of the two girls said, "If you see a thin, medium-height, brunette girl walk in could you please show her to our table? Her name is Bella. We got separated in town a couple hours ago and we are supposed to meet her here."

"Sure," Celeste replied. She hoped that girl hadn't run into those creepy looking guys on the street.

The girls' meals came and they finished their food with still no sign of the brunette girl.

"Can we please have the check?" asked the other girl.

"Sure. No word from your friend?"

The girls looked at each other, worriedly. "No," they said in unison.

"But I'm sure she's fine. I'm going to try and call her again when we leave."

"Okay," Celeste replied, "I hope she turns up soon," and she meant that sincerely.

Only a few minutes after the girls left Celeste heard the familiar chime of the door opening. She heard Haley talking to the couple and couldn't believe the flirtation vibes she was giving to the poor guy. _Haley, could you be any more obvious?_ , she thought. The couple was seated in her section and she immediately approached them and asked for their drink orders before she even looked up to make eye contact. The moment her head tilted up she made eye contact with the guy and she felt entranced by him. Everything about him was absolutely mesmerizing. His hair, his perfect build, his flawless skin, his smell, but most of all his eyes. She instantly felt in love with him and understood love at first sight. She found herself batting her eyelashes, sucking in her already-small stomach, popping out her hip while placing her hand on it, and puckering her lips.

"I'll just take a water," said the girl.

"Nothing for me, thanks," said the boy.

Celeste took a little longer than normal to turn around and walk away, but when she did and was no longer within his line of sight she got her head back and immediately felt like such an idiot. _What was I thinking? Obviously he is with that girl. Why would I so transparently flirt with him. That's not like me at all._ And it wasn't. She had always been such a modest and shy girl – this was completely unlike her. She decided to give them as much space as possible after her embarrassing display. She took the girl's water and a basket of bread to her as quickly as possible without making eye contact and quickly walked away. She couldn't believe her stupidity. She thought to when they had first arrived and Haley had acted in the same way. She went to talk to Haley while the couple looked over their menus.

"Haley, did you see that guy?" an obvious question, but still just wanted to hear her reaction to him.

"Um, yeah! I think he might be the most gorgeous human being I've ever seen face-to-face. He could be a movie star."

"I completely lost it when I took his drink order. I practically started drooling. I can't believe what an idiot I must have looked like."

"I know what you mean. I acted like a bimbo. I'm not sure what got into me."

"I guess I should go back and take their orders. That girl probably hates me. Do you recognize her by the way? She was at First Beach in La Push when we were there last week."

"Oh, I thought she looked familiar. Good luck!"

"Thanks," Celeste said, embarrassed.

She headed back over to their table.

"What can we get started for you?"  
"Mushroom ravioli," the girl replied quickly, her eyes never leaving the boy.

"Nothing for me, thanks," the boy replied.

It happened again. She put her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure?" she said in her flirtiest voice.

"No, thank you," he said, with a small smile.

The girl gave Celeste a look that meant _Go away_ , which she did gladly.

Celeste thought about beating her head against the wall, but thought that might add insult to her already injured ego.

Again she stayed away as long as humanly possible, only stopping by one time quickly with a carafe to refill the girl's glass and avoiding eye contact at all costs.

She dreaded the inevitable "ding" which indicated that their order was ready, but soon enough there it was. She grabbed the one plate of food and another basket of bread, and walked their way. She repeated to herself in her head, "No flirting. No flirting. No flirting."

She sat the mushroom ravioli in front of the girl, as well as the basket of bread. She glanced over at the boy, and here it came again. "Are you sure there isn't anything I could get for you?" she said in her flirty baby voice.

"No, thanks," he said again, looking amused.

"Okay," she said, again seeing the girl give her a look of dismay, and swayed her hips as she walked away.

 _Oh my gosh, what am I doing?!_ , she thought. She decided right then and there that she would have somebody else take the check to the table.

She hid in the kitchen for the rest of the night, only coming out to wait a few other tables that were in her section. Luckily for her it was a slower night than usual so she was able to save face. Her friend, Tim, was nice enough to take the couple their bill. She watched from afar as they got up and left. She saw them get into a shiny silver Volvo parked out in front of the restaurant and speed off like a bat out of hell.


End file.
